Day 39

I'm having severe cramps and bone pain in my left hip. Joanie and I will be seeing the doctor tomorrow and consulting with Hackensack to see if there is something I can do alleviate the pain. The local oncologist wants me to get a complete blood count. I guess she wants to see what my white blood count is and if I'm becoming a little bit anemic. I'll also check with Hackensack on the timing for the donor kits and when they will be sent out. Anyway, the good news is that all of my test results seem to be going in the right direction for the autologus stem cell transplant they want me to go through first.

Day 36

I woke up with acute back pain, could hardly make it to the bathroom. I hope that as I move around it will alleviate a little. On a scale of 1 to 10,, it's a 6.

Day 34

I have cramps in my calfs in addition to night sweats. I'm going to talk to my exercise guru about this. Joanie and I are headed back to OIB after my medication arrives today. It was shipped out FedX yesterday. I want to play cribbage with the Penna and Atlanta Dock's.

Day 33

Back from vacation at Ocean Isle Beach. We had a great week visiting and cavorting with the family. I began round 2 with the chemo last Thursday, so far so good. I'm having mild night sweats every night. I'm not sure whether thats a good thing or a bad thing but if thats the only thing that happens it's ok with me. I should get a reading on my blood work today so we'll see if I'm responding to the treatment. I'll post the results when I have them.

Day 22

My posts always show up as 3 hours earlier than I post them. I'm not up in the middle of the night posting. I can't figure out how to change it. Today is the last day of drugs for a week, a welcome reprieve. We spent yesterday wrestling with the scatterbrained local oncology office to get my prescription correct and Golden Rule Insurance because they are holding up payments and asking for medical records from places that I didn't even visit - go figure. I went to my second exercise class yesterday, it was Yoga for beginners like me. There are some ways that I just don't stretch right now which engendered humor for some of my compatriots and individual instruction from my very good looking intructress.

Day 20

I had big time sweats last night. I had to take off my tee shirt, it was soaked. The doctor said that may be a sign that the chemo is eliciting some reaction from the tumors. I hope so. We got our regimen all straightened out today so my last day of medicine for the first cycle will be Thursday, then a week off and then back on again, perfect timing for OIB. I started an exercise program at the YMCA yesterday, I'm the only guy in the class.

Day 19

I think that my discomfort is attributable to dexamethasone. I'll talk to the local doctor when I see her tomorrow. I went to the YMCA in downtown Charlotte this morning for some exercise and conversation with other cancer patients. It was pleaseant and I look forward to continuing with these guys for the next several months. I'm the only guy in the class. It'll be good to get off the drugs for a week at OIB.